-        The similarities with both programs are there is a focus on the child’s interest. Both programs have inquiry-based learning with many of the activities/play happening outside in all different types of weather. 

-        Within both programs there is a growth in the children confidence, independence as well as a respect for the natural environment.

-        Within in program there is a clear understanding that the educators are very passionate about the program and enjoying being part of the children’s learning environment. 

Differences 

-        The Banksia program offers several different experiences for sustainability in term of having chicken, compost, feeding pets and watering the plants. The children are learning about the full cycle of growing and reusing different natural material example compost- planting using comport and eating the fruit and vegetables the children have grown. 

-        The Twingo Outdoor Kindergarten program is located close to a lake with a beach and a ravine for the children you have a different experience with nature. 

1 thing I like in both programs 

-        Banksia Park Kindergarten 

I like that this program has a environmental plan that has been incorporated to the program and is used to increase the sustainability and the connection to the community. The program has to many amazing aspects like reusing rainwater for watering plants, water for the birds and lizards. The Children had the ability to reuse different recycle materials to make a insect motel and placing plastic materials over the smaller plants so they don’t get hurt. The Branksia program also maintains a connection to the families and community by using material donated like the sinks. 

 

-        Twaingo Outdoor Kindergarten 

I like that the Kindergarten program is so close to a lake. This gives the children great experience and inquiries about the changes within the water, plants, fish and wildlife within the different seasons. 

Link to other programs 

I found a great article looking into the benefits of having a nature based program for children and the developmental benefits

FOREST AND NATURE SCHOOL IN CANADA growth NADA: A Head, Heart, Hands Approach to Outdoor Learning. This article looks at the different perspectives of the educator, aboriginal and child. The article goes into detail about the different developmental learning that can happen with following the child’s lead and interest. There is a focus on the many aspect of learning that happens within the program like social play, learning about the environment and the natural world around us. 

https://childnature.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FSC-Guide-1.pdf 

Both programs have very common interests in connecting with nature and embracing being outdoors. They both emphasis on children being in the outdoors and show great interest with playing and learning. Children are curious by nature and natural scientists. They enjoy experiencing sounds, sights, scents and even texture and what better way to let them experience this then being in nature and this is what both programs have in common despite the difference in seasons. Furthermore, both programs teach the children to respect and being responsible of their surroundings. 

Differences:

The Banksia program focuses more on learning how to compost, recycle, growing food/plants and collecting rainwater for their plants. There is a focus on converting school’s food scrap waste into valuable natural fertilizer that they can add to their garden to grow more plants. It teaches them how the environment work and how to reduce waste.

The Twingo program was more focused on playing and being engaged in nature during their outdoor walk. It is teaching them how to explore their environment without toys or equipment. The children used their own way to be involved with their surrounding such as making snow angel, playing with sticks, and daring themselves going down the hill. 

I like how the Banksia program has many activities for kids to learn about math and literacy through nature around them such as counting eggs or reading books about how to grow plants. 

As for the Twingo program, I liked how the educators give ample time to get the children ready to go outside, it sets a positive attitude for the outdoor learning they will gain. I also enjoyed how spacious and quiet their outdoor environment was as it let their five senses come to life.

Banksia Park Kindergarten seemed to focus on teaching the children how to keep their environment around them sustainable. Caring for the animals, like chickens, in which they would in turn gather eggs from. Caring for and harvesting lemons from a tree, in which the learning was extended by the children juicing them for lemonade they would then have for their own snack time. They were able to participate in all of the steps for these different concepts of sustainability. 

I thought both programs were wonderful in incorporating these important concepts of our environment, our stewardship towards it, and responsibilities to sustain it.

At Banksia Park, they focus more on specific teachings. This appears to be a more structured environment that focuses on teaching the children about sustainability and real-life skills such as getting the eggs from the chicken coupes, conserving rainwater to water the plants, planting and growing their own fruits and vegetables, reusing, reducing, recycling and compost. One thing I absolutely love in this program is how the children are so engaged in long term projects that teach them step by step life skills. For example; planting the tree, caring for the tree, watering the tree, watching the lemons grow, picking the lemons, and then finally, turning the lemons into lemonade, and enjoying the lemonade as a nice refreshing afternoon snack. 

At Tawingo College in Huntsville, the focus is less structured and more open ended. They simply want the children to explore the outdoor environment and get comfortable with nature and their surroundings. They do not focus on specific teachings, but instead they build on the children’s interests and follow the child’s lead. I love how this program allows the children to just be free to explore and take risks. I love how it helps them build their confidence in themselves and their environment (for example how the video explained that kids feared the uneven ground or complained that they couldn’t go down the hill on their own, and over time they built up their confidence to take appropriate safe risks.)

There is a similar program here in London that I used to take my daughter to when she was younger. It is a free outdoor playgroup for toddlers and preschoolers called “Wild Child” through Childreach. 

There are also many forest schools opening in Canada. I learned about these in my ECE program and find them quite fascinating and beneficial! We are hoping to have one here in our city soon!

Differences 

What I liked about the Banksia Kindergarten is the learning and respect of the environment and earth we live in. The children learn through play and are always doing something that directly impacts the environment, such as planting trees, composting and reusing objects. 

What I like about Tawingo College is how the children are free and allowed to explore their interests in the environment they’re in. Children are encouraged when they feel like they can’t do something such as going up a hill or climbing a tree. They’re challenged and supported at the same time. I also enjoyed seeing that the staff wasn’t rushing the children in translation and allowing them to take their time. 

One of my co-workers used to work at this location and said its philosophy and curriculum were amazing and based on the interest of children through play. 

 http://www.forestgrove.ca/programs

 

In the video “Education for Sustainability: Banksia Park Kindergarten” I liked that the program provided the children a natural environment where they had the opportunity to take care of real animals (chickens) and have a garden where they can grow various foods, herbs, fruit and trees. I liked that the children were able to partake in growing food where they could taste and eat the foods and also learn where the foods come from and how to dispose, reuse, recycle and regenerate natural resources from what they had produced. I enjoyed the process of collecting eggs from the chickens-encouraging numeracy and that the children were taught to collect chicken scraps to feed the chickens-teaching children the lifecycle of a chicken. In this video I liked that the children had the opportunity to partake in a natural space while caring for that environment.-Rania Pilquil

Unfortunately, I do not know a childcare centre that has a sustainability or outdoor program.

There were a few similarities I noticed between the two programs. One similarity I noticed was that both programs focused on Kindergarten and the kindergarten age group. Both programs also focused on outdoor education and how we can teach children about the natural world around us. I noticed that both programs focused on letting the children be independent and explore their interests as they pleased. Both programs allowed the children to take risks and have access to natural materials 24/7 which is so important for outdoor education.  Both programs provide the benefits and challenges of outdoor education. The programs allowed the children to work on their physical, cognitive, communication, social and emotional development. I saw many connecting ideas within both videos.

There were a few differences between the programs which made each one unique and special. The Banksia program had elements that Tawingo did not. In the Banksia program children were able to engage in activities including animal feeding, composting and gardening. The educators were engaged and asking inquiry based questions as well as knowledge based questions to support the children’s learning/development. The Tawingo program seemed to let the children be more independent and navigate the outdoors on their own. The Tawingo program allowed the children to take risks and use their independence to solve problems. The Tawingo program focused on learning outside for the majority of the day whereas the Banksia program split their time between indoor and outdoor education. Both program differences make them unique and they each have their own benefits for children. 

I really loved how the Banksia program allowed the children to be independent while still challenging them. For example, a young boy asked to help get the eggs. The boy was independent in asking the educator what he wanted and she supported him in the experience. While the young boy and another girl were holding the eggs the educator asked how many they had. The educator was challenging their cognitive development and math skills within the learning experience of retrieving the eggs. I really enjoyed this approach in the Banksia program.

I loved that the Tawingo program challenges the children's fears. As they allow the children to independently explore they become more aware of the environment and are more comfortable with different tasks/activities. The children begin to be afraid to try new things and are constantly asking for help with things they are scared to do. The children start thinking they are not capable of many things. I loved that as the program allowed them to explore and gain a sense of the materials, the children became less scared and more confident in their abilities. The Tawingo program is really great at supporting risky play and experimentation. 

-          Both programs have created an atmosphere where the children are engaging in outdoor play.  The educators allow children to interact with the environment without limitation.  

-          Another similarity represented in both programs is independence.  In both programs the educators seem to be teaching and allowing the children to be independent in engaging with the environment.  The Tawingo program, the children are encouraged to walk through the community discovering the environment. In the Banksia program, the children are encouraged to take care of the animals and plants in their garden. 

-          The Tawingo program seems to be emphasizing their teaching style on sustainability by allowing the children to spend more time outdoors rather than indoors.  The educators encourage and teach the children to engage in surroundings.  The children use the environment as their materials and equipment to play.  

-          The Banksia program created an environment within the centre, this includes the garden and the “farm”.  The educators gear their teaching towards learning about the environment and ways for sustainability.  This is done outdoor and indoors, using materials and nature itself. 

What I liked about the Tawingo program is the time management.  I like how the educators allow the children to independently dress themselves.  It’s good to see that the children don’t have a restricted time frame to get ready. 

What I liked about the Banksia program is the use of nature’s material to teach sustainability.  I like how they use visual and hands on learning. The educators uses books to educate the children on different ways to be sustainable and then go outside perform those visuals. 

I really like how both programs promote and educate our future children on keeping our earth sustainable. 

 

·      Both videos take place outdoors and aim to connect students with their environment.

·      Through the numerous activities that were carried out, the students in both videos achieve a deeper level of respect for the outdoor environment.

·      In both videos, the students explore their senses in more than one way to become in touch with their surroundings.

Differences:

 

·      Banksia Park places the students in a warm environment, while Tawingo has more of a winter setting.

·      While Tawingo has a less rigid structure and allowed the students to explore as they please, Banksia Park was more focused on particular topics such as sustainability and real-life skills.

One thing I really liked about the Banksia Park program was how deep sustainability was emphasized to the children. It was great to see how they were already concerned about throwing their trash into the right bin from such a young age. It was also rather impressive how they were able to tie in components such as numeracy and literacy into their daily routine while still teaching the children about how to treat their environment.

At Twingo, it was amazing to see the kids be given the freedom to explore in whatever way they desired. A lack of limitations meant that the kids were free to discover whatever it was they were curious about. I personally find that kids thrive when they are put in open-ended environments with no time limits to focus on their interests and build up their own sense of self-confidence.

 

I really liked how Banksia had such a big focus on sustainable practice’s and had a strong focus on community involvement. I think it is so important in the early years to involve families and communities in a child’s learning. If parent’s are committed to supporting and being involved in their child’s learning, then there is always more growth and success for those children. In a world where we are facing so many challenges such as global warming, there isn't a better time to be teaching our littlest learners the importance of sustainability.

 

A program similar to Tawingo’s outdoor learning program near me is Dogwood Acres Forest School. The link is: 

https://www.dogwoodacresfs.ca/home 

It is so fulfilling to see so many new forest schools and outdoor learning programs popping up in our local community. I feel like there is no better environment for a child to learn in than our own natural settings. Like the educator said in the Tawingo video, I also feel a pull between providing children with that valuable uninterrupted play time they need while meeting provincial bench marks or admin expectations to get the children “academically” ready for Gr. 1. 

 

-        Banksia Park

What I enjoyed about this program was that the educators put trust in the children to complete tasks that may be difficult for a child. For example, handling eggs and other fragile materials. For many programs the simpler the better so to see this is a breath of fresh air 

 

-  Twaingo Outdoor

This program has more of a focus on nature and their environment. This program appeared to be a little more flexible as they were opened to participate outside even though it may be raining or snowy. 

 

 

Although I was unable to locate a specific school or program, I have heard of programs where children nap outside in the winter to strengthen their immune systems. This was something that blew me away at first glimpse, but as I learned more about it, my interest grew. Below is a link that talks a little bit more of this. 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988

About the two schools, they have the same interest characteristics: contact with nature, outdoor activities. Both enable children to acquire more cognition in learning and playing. Both programs offer children a chance to learning and feeling nature. Children will paint nature according to their perception   

Banksia Park Kindergarten’s program is working on learning and playing. Their focus is on learning. Through the teacher's early guidance, the children have a preliminary understanding of nature.  Then the child learns more about nature through play and communication. 

 

Tawingo’s program is working on playing and learning. Their focus is on playing. In the process of education, educators will not have much intervention and guidance.  It encourages children to acquire knowledge themselves and then sharing their newfound skills or cognition with others. It will be a recognition and validation for the children.

 

I am working with Today’s Family Early Learning Child Care-Greendale location. This location is a fusion of these two programs. According to the age of the child, this is modified accordingly. There are two gardens, a playground, and a greenspace. Every room possesses a spot in the garden. Playground: Wooden slides and steps provide children with maximizing sensory experiences. With the only goldfish in the classroom for health safety. Preschooler classroom named a squirrel 'Johnny'     

 

Playground link: https://www.earthscapeplay.com/project/todays-family-early-learning-child-care-natural-playground-greendale/

 

I noticed that although the philosophies of both schools were similar in that they wanted the children to spend time outside and in nature, I saw that the first school focused on animals, recycling, and conserving materials. The second school seemed to focus on spending time outside to gain an appreciation for the world around us. 

 

One thing I liked about Banksia Park Kindergarten was that they didn’t view sustainable practises as special or extra. They built these practices into their everyday lives. They included learning math skills while gathering eggs from the chickens. They talked about the growing cycle by planting a real tree and they learned how to separate and sort recycling materials from their lunches. I loved how all these practices were expected from the children and they seemed to really know them. 

 

One thing I appreciated about Tawingo College was that the teacher talked about balancing the learning goals that she had, with the desires of the children. She also talked about wanting the children to learn to be independent and one way she did this was by not rushing them while they were getting dressed. She talked about how this was an important learning opportunity for the children. I really appreciate this. 

I am going to bring a few of these concepts into the centre where I am currently working as all our programs would benefit from more outdoor activities. 

 

 

They started off small with an idea / initiative and have been on a journey ever since, growing their programs. 
What stood out to me was how each program valued and were committed to their community. After children participated in many activities throughout the day, they went home to share their ideas and findings with their families, Banksia even passed out a survey for both the children and their parents. 

Both Banksia Park and Tawingo College made efforts not only to connect children with nature but to connect children with their educators, peers and families, which was inspiring. 
The educators in each video showcased caring adults respecting nature which lead to the children caring for their environment. 

At each location children gained confidence, independence and made so many achievements. 
When children are able to study their environment with hands on activities they are able to protect it. 

 

 

Each program are unique in their own ways. 

Banksia Park had more focus on activities such as feeding the animals, counting their eggs, planting trees, collecting rainwater and composting. 
Tawingo College used less materials and resources while allowing children to find their own sense of space and having no limits to the sticks they were playing with. 

There is also a difference in the delivery of their daily schedule, Banksia is more structured while Tawingo is more relaxed. 

 

Overall, each location respects mother nature, provides challenges for children to overcome, meets each child’s interests and fosters an appreciation for the environment. 

Difference between the programs are Banksia Park Kindergarten seemed to be focused on teaching the children about sustainability. They do this by having animals and plants for the children to grow, feed, and take care of. Although Tawingo College also has a focus on the natural environment, it appears the focus is more on getting the children to love being outdoors and connecting to nature through play and exploration. 

I love the philosophy surrounding outdoor education programs. Specifically I love that Banksia Park had animals and plants in their program, I can see the value this brings with rich learning about how to care for all elements of nature and sustainability. I also liked how Tawingo College gives children the time needed for routines without limits. Often we see these transitions being rushed, I think allowing for the time for children to transition without being rushed adds more value to these times of the day.

Challenge Task 1

Similarities

Both Banksia Park Kindergarten and Tawingo College programs are exposing children to the importance of environment, allowing them to connect with their environment, discover and appreciate/value nature. They provide children with enough natural spaces to wonder, explore and experiment with nature for sustainability as they engage and have fun.

Differences

I think Banksia Park Kindergarten program seem to be allowing children to experiment with things, animals and food in the environment. There seem to be more intentional hands-on teaching within the natural space. The children seem to be gaining knowledge with all their senses for example producing the lemon juice and having to taste it.

On the other hand, children of Tawingo College seem to enjoy the serenity of openness of the large space, allow children to wonder and explore the environment and connect with nature. The children playing snow angels and engaging in physical walk.

The Banksia Park program teaches children sustainability through gathering and growing food, as well as caring for animals, reusing food waste, rainwater and composting. 

The Tawingo College program teaches children respect by bonding with the earth through play and exploration. Children engage in outdoor time with others as they find a new source of adventure while being interconnected with the earth. 

The concept that I liked about both of these programs is that they took on different approaches to teach children environmental sustainability. It’s nice to know that we can each do something different to contribute to the same goal.